‘Baby Bump,’ ‘Occupy’ Among 2012 List of ‘Banished’ Words

Every year, Michigan’s Lake Superior State University asks people which words and phrases have been so overused that they should be essentially banished from the English language. The school just released their list for 2012, and it’s certainly stirring up debate.

“Amazing” took the dubious top honors, with many people calling it the most overused word ever — and one respondent lamenting, “I don’t even like ‘Amazing Grace’ anymore.”

Coming in a close second was “baby bump,” which is frequently used these days to describe a celebrity pregnancy (or a suspected pregnancy when a star forgets to suck in her tummy for the cameras).

The popular political catch-phrase “shared sacrifice” rounded out the top three. It’s most often used, said one respondent, “by a politician who wants other people to share in the sacrifice so he/she doesn’t have to.”

Here’s the whole list — what would you add? We’re surprised “epic,” “fail” and “winning” didn’t make the cut.